This archive report was first published on 21 November 2019.
East Africa: Global Heating Supercharges Indian Ocean Climate System ¶
Published on November 21, 2019
Indian Ocean dipole events, linked to bushfires and floods, are becoming stronger and more frequent, scientists say. This year's record Indian Ocean dipole has played a role in disasters including bushfires in Australia and floods in Africa.
Scientists and humanitarian officials warn that global heating is 'supercharging' an increasingly dangerous climate mechanism in the Indian Ocean. The phenomenon, known as the Indian Ocean dipole, threatens to reappear more regularly and in a more extreme form as sea surface temperatures rise.
Caroline Ummenhofer, a scientist at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, said unique factors are at play in the Indian Ocean compared with other tropical regions. The large Asian landmass to the north of the Indian Ocean makes it particularly susceptible to retaining heat.
Recent research suggests ocean heat has risen dramatically over the past decade, leading to the potential for warming water in the Indian Ocean to affect the Indian monsoon, one of the most important climate patterns in the world.
Jonathan Pollock, of Australia's Bureau of Meteorology, said this year's dipole was 'up there as one of the strongest' on record. The dipole has been linked to the Australian bushfires, with climatologists pointing to it as at least one of the contributing factors.
Gemma Connell, of the UN's Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, raised concern over the impact of stronger and more regular Indian Ocean dipole events on Africa. 'What we are seeing from the current record events is large-scale flooding across the region. Entire swathes are under water, affecting 2.5 million people.'
